kcollins78

You know, I've gotten some weird 'shrooming on candles that had no FO at all, when I was trying to find the right wick for the wax/container. What's up with that?

That's odd, all the candles I've ever seen have included it. Metric labeling is required by the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act: http://www.ftc.gov/os/statutes/fplajump.shtm http://www.ftc.gov/os/statutes/fpla/outline.shtm Basic Requirements: The FPLA requires each package of household "consumer commodities" that is included in the coverage of the FPLA to bear a label on which there is: a statement identifying the commodity, e.g., detergent, sponges, etc.; the name and place of business of the manufacturer, packer, or distributor; and the net quantity of contents in terms of weight, measure, or numerical count (measurement must be in both metric and inch/pound units). and candles are considered "consumer commodities" within the meaning of the Act: http://www.ftc.gov/os/statutes/fpla/part503.shtm Anybody have any additional insight as to this?

I really like it! One thing though, I think they require you to put the grams as well as ounces... (?)

One thing you might consider doing is having giveaways, such as when you hit 300 'likes', 500, etc., or if they post a picture to your wall of one of your products in their home you'll pick one to win a free prize. Also a bit of fan interaction - ask what they'd like to see you carry, what scents they'd be interested in, what they're doing for the holiday, stuff like that. Also if you have an occasional special (buy 3 get 1 free) "For our FB Fans only!" it tends to bump up the interest. Or at least I think it does, those are things that tend to pique my interest

At least you don't live downstate! Ugh! lol We should all have a swap meet sometime!!

Have you contacted CS to see what they'd say? I imagine they'd like to know, in case it was a defective batch or something. They may have a bit more insight. So curious as to why that would happen, I've never heard of that happening before!

My husband loves Pekin for some reason but I've personally never filed a claim with them. I formerly used State Farm and just loved them, but I don't know if they had candle/business insurance. They're great with auto accident claims! lol

I'm in Southern IL but used to live in Rockford. There's a wax supplier up there near Joliet (DPS Wax, in New Lenox) but not much else, not much around here either I so miss Northern IL and hope to move back there sometime soon.

So glad to hear! Thanks for telling us about that. I'm also in Illinois and we have our house and car insurances through Pekin, although I'm still in the testing phase so the insurance part is a little ways away for me. Great to know they provide it!

I've also recently received a sample pack of the Premier 700's and am hoping to try them out soon - which one would you recommend to start with in soy (CB-135) in an 11-oz tumbler (3.125" dia.)? I'll be doing a side-by-side with a CD-16 wick to compare. Thanks

Wow, that is scary! I wouldn't have thought of that being an issue. It looks like they're suing Febreeze for patent infringement for making & selling wood wick candles, it will be interesting to see how that turns out! :/ http://news.priorsmart.com/lumetique-v-proctor-gamble-company-l4Fe/

This is a 3" diameter status jar with a CD-12 wick, 415 with USA and 6% FO. I've burned it 3 hours at a time, and it's down to 1/2" left so that's the end of it. It had excellent throw and was a lovely candle but seemed to melt much slower (if that's the right word) after around the bottom 1/3 of the container. Is it normal to have this much hangup and residue or do I need to wick up a size? Any thoughts on this candle would be greatly appreciated!

I'm still learning about soy candles, but to me this seems way overwicked?! Look at that melt pool! That picture was on the front page of that company's website. If one is burned like this what's it like towards the bottom of the candle? Mine don't start cleaning off the sides of the glass until about halfway through the candle, which is my understanding of how they should burn. Thoughts from the experts?

Forgot to mention those It's a Weck 1/5 liter jar. I poured at 97*, cooled them on a rack on the counter (thermostat on 70* but the kitchen tends to be a bit warmer I think), did not preheat the jars but did wash and dry them. Thanks much for your reply, Stella, I'll try using a little more USA next time and let them cool in the oven as well and see if that helps. Moonshine, I did have a little throw with the 135 but not much. Do you use beeswax and USA together with them? This week I'll try several of these ideas and will try to post some pictures. I don't get much time but every once in a while both babies take naps at the same time and I get a heavenly hour to whip up more candles Thanks again!

I have some jars that are 2.5 inches diameter at the bottom and 3 inches at the top (also 3 inches high) - how would you wick these, and for how long at a time (2.5 hours or 3?) would you test burn them? I'm using 415 and tried a CD-10 wick but haven't test burned it yet because it's curing. Have had some success using CD-12 wicks in 3 inch diameter status jars but am still experimenting with those as well. Another question: how far do you fill the jars - up to 1/2 inch from the top? Is there a standard answer to this (can't seem to find one...) or a formula to determine this? Also, has anybody tried blending 135 and 415 to make a prettier candle? The first candles I made were with 135 - they were lovely and creamy, had perfectly smooth tops, no wet spots and minimal frosting, but had no throw. I've made a few now with 415 and it's so ugly (rough tops were helped a little with the addition of USA but I have more work to figure that problem out) sink holes and and bad frosting but has amazing HT. Next time I'll try preheating the FO to see if that helps with the terrible frosting. I've searched these issues but couldn't find much. Any advice and tips would be much appreciated

Question from another newbie: is it okay to reuse jars you've used for testing, for further testing? I have a couple that I've burned to the end but don't want to throw them away :/

Welcome to the hobby! It's a fun one I haven't been making candles too long and haven't at all lately because I have a newborn but thought I'd point out that it's best to let your candle burn until it melts out to the glass - if you only burn it an hour (assuming it burns an inch in that hour) it will start tunneling with subsequent burns. I don't know yet if tunneling affects HT but it's a waste of wax at the least. Good luck with your testing! Enjoy!

Havana Plantation

http://www.saveonscents.com/product_info.php/products_id/4058/language/st SOS sells it, someone left a review stating that it worked well in C3. One of these days, when I have more time, I'd love to make a bunch of candles with Jo Malone's lovely fragrances!

Thanks for asking this, I've been wondering too! Made a big mess last time when I poured from a 16-oz. bottle instead of the 1-oz. ones I had previously just poured in without measuring. Been too busy with a new baby to make any candles lately though. I was thinking, next time I might just use a spoon to measure out the fo. Looking forward to reading everybody else's methods!

A few ideas... Iced Cranberry/Mistletoe So far all I could come up with is Cran Mistletoe and I don't even like it. Cranberries in the Snow? Jack Frost/Chestnuts and Brown Sugar I really didn't want to make this combo because I thought it was a horrible duo, but actually it's really really nice. I can smell the Frost and Chestnuts. I was leaning towards Frosted Chestnuts. I like Frosted Chestnuts! Old Fashion Christmas/Apples and Maple Bourbon I thought of: Christmas Apple Spice Christmas Apple Bourbon Hearthside Apple Bourbon Maybe Maple Leaf Cocktail? Or Maple Cider Cocktail? Holly Bayberry/Buttercream Crunch Woodland Bayberry Crunch - Kinda long I thought Bayberry Woods Bayberry Cream is nice Macintosh Apple/Sage,Sweetgrass & Cedar Now this is a toughy and soooo long these names I had some names I came up with and can't find the piece of paper I wrote them down on. Geesh! I sort of like "Romancing the Woods" - but not sure of Romancing.. Solstice Woods Autumn Woodland? Macintosh Apple/Balsam I thought of Balsam Applewood or just plain Applewood Balsam Woods Balsam Harvest Applewood Harvest Apple Balsam Harvest I like Balsam Applewood

Maybe some kind of apple or cider (with a little spice, for the fall/winter), for the green color? I think apples are a Wisconsin thing. I can't think of anything for the yellow color though...

Maybe Almond Danish?

Hi! What lovely candles and a gorgeous website! I have a question for you, what percentages of EO's do you use? I've made some candles with FO's but would like to make some with EO's. Thanks

Where do you get your lavender EO? I've gotten a bunch of FO's to play around with but would eventually like to do more with EO's although I'm not sure where to get them. Also, what's the percentage you would use in soy? Thanks!